NSW Origin Side

Fox Sports Stats suggests Jarrod Mullen is form candidate to be New South Wales' Origin halfback

For the record, I'd pick:

 

6. Soward

7. Mullen

I would have Pearce and Mullen.

Dragons players only play well as a team.

Trent Hodgkinson is the best defensive half in the league, but he doesnt have the creativity yet of a Mullen or Pearce.

Pearce has been rubbish all year.

NSW need a a good kicking game because if they lose the field position battle they'll lose the series.

Mullen & Soward are the two best kickers in the competition.

Mullen has the best running game of any of the halves going around and has been defensively strong all year.

NSW need to kick long and deep and bash QLD.

Soward deserves his chance. You can't say he won't stand up at Origin if you don't give him a shot. He hasn't failed like Creagh, Morris, Scott etc.

Mitch has to be there. They are builing the team around him as did the QLD around john. Just how it works in origin.

IMO mitch and mullen would be good together. Matt Cooper in centres, Robbie at hooker, Pual in back row. They have to be there. Also look at Kurt or dugan or Gordon at Fullback. My choice would be Gordan as he has been very good. Mb jennings as other centre and morris on the wing. all These players imo have to be there or abouts.

personally couldn't give a rats if pearce doesn't make the side, he has enough pressure a club level at the minute. He could do without all that Origin expectation as well.

Cooper has to make the side from THAT tackle alone. Hayne has to be there somewhere. The rest of the backline is anyone's guess. I think Mullen has to be given ago, not convinced on Soward though.

But after all is said and done the team picked needs to be kept together for some time, at least through the series bar injuries.

Battler,is Daniel Geale the new Hondo?


Comment 1

I am gonna call it now.

Pearce in 4-5 years time is going to be the closest thing to Andrew Johns we will see in a long time.

Rostos you plan to hang around this forum for another 4 or 5 years?

Pearce will never get close to Johns yo

The closest thing to Andrew Johns is about to retire at the end f the season

Andrew Johns is the greatest player of all time.

 Junior Pearce

 

 Jase

 

shut up geale you fucking goat

 

BTW, in the early part of Johns career (when he had Mathew outside him), to be honest, he was good, but wasnt a standout.

It wasnt until Mathew left and in 2001 after he came back from the injury he had, he exploded into something i have never seen before from a footballer.

From the latter part of 2001 to 04/05, he was by far the best player i had ever seen by a mile. I never saw Lewis much, IMO, in those years, he shat on Lewis.

My point is, a player reaches his peak, especially a half back in his late 20's.

The control Johns showed to lead a team around the park was astonoshing.

Thats what seperates him from the Mullens, Pearces etc, the composure and maturity, even Benji Marshall.

The thing is, the modern day footballers rely on kicks for the majority, but Johns was classic in setting up tries not only for himself, but his creativity was nothing like i have never seen.

Pearce is still very very young, but there are bits and pieces that remind me of Johns. You cant laugh and say no way, cause the reality is, U DONT KNOW.

I am simply saying, he will be the closest to Johns, which is completely different to saying he will be as good as Johns.

Rostos

Jarryd Hayne would be the greatest player ever if he wasn't lazy and actually cared